We’ve made it through to the final of the Youth Matters Awards!
YMCA Youth Matters Awards is our annual awards event which celebrates the achievements of young people, staff and volunteers.
Young people, staff and volunteers from YMCAs across England and Wales are honoured every year for their outstanding achievements, inspiring feats against adversity and tireless dedication to provoke change.
As its core, YMCA’s Youth Matters Awards is about giving thanks and special recognition to every YMCA, young person, service user, member of staff and volunteer, whose hard work and unfaltering dedication have all contributed towards YMCA’s efforts to create better communities for young people and families.
YMCA of the Year
Homelessness cannot be solved by one single solution or approach, and COVID has given us a unique opportunity to innovate and adapt at a phenomenal pace. This opportunity has enabled us to design, develop and fully mobilise our Dynamic Pathway to Independence!
The pathway consists of 5 distinct services, each with a very different type, specialism, and amount of support delivered in equally different and psychologically informed living environments (PiE). With each stage seamlessly integrated to the next via our Outcome Star system, which provides full consistency and visibility of support needs and risk data management on a step-up, step-down basis.
Working with various local authority partners, MHCLG and Homes England, we have secured over £2.76 million in funding to develop almost 150 new units of accommodation during the COVID period. This has ranged from major development, as part of the NSAP programme, through to acquisition and refurbishment funded more locally.
All of the new units form part of the pathway and are specifically designed to meet the distinct support needs and level of independence applicable for residents at that stage of their journey. We are now able to deliver the right support at the right time and in the right place to ensure each resident can belong, contribute and thrive as they progress towards independence.
We have completed extensive work with specialist consultants to design a PiE led design approach that ensures the living environment complements and enhances our support. This has seen us support previously entrenched rough sleepers (street homeless for 5-10 years) maintain tenancies for 12+ months.
The Dynamic Pathway to Independence has now become a recognisable and scalable model. With commissioners from other counties now actively requesting (and funding) specific stages of it for their own areas.
Creating a sustainable #EndToHomlessness through innovation and consistency!
Accommodation Project of the Year
On the 16th March 2020 when the call for ‘everyone in’ came out there were 83 known rough sleepers in Watford. All of them were entrenched, had complex needs, demonstrated highly challenging behaviours and had failed to maintain any tenancy over the past 5-10 years.
It was clear that unless something radical was done this group would not only be in a life-threatening situation themselves, they would also be a huge transmission risk for the wider community.
One YMCA stepped in (far out of our usual comfort zone) and made it our mission to adapt, innovate and deliver to ensure they were able to truly belong, contribute and thrive. As of the 16th March 2021, there remain ZERO rough sleepers in Watford!
The MCISS utilises highly experienced mental health, offending and substance misuse specialists to deliver goal-orientated person-centric support on a trauma-informed basis. All monitored, managed, and directed through extensive use of the Outcome Star system. All combining to ensure the right type and amount of support (6-8 hours PW) is delivered in the right way, at the right time and in the right place.
We have created multiple micro-communities of only 22 residents, with a dedicated staff/concierge team, in a secure / access controlled and psychologically informed environment. This has been pivotal in creating a sense of safety and aspiration, bringing the asset and support pieces together to deliver a highly effective service.
This MCISS approach has already seen 14 residents move on positively (eg into PRS), 1 alcohol dependant resident (previously hospitalised fortnightly) required no such intervention for 2 months, 14 remaining residents achieve tenancy sustainment for over 10 months and 100% of residents are engaging with support and paying rent.
Over the last year, One YMCA has #endedroughsleeping in Watford.
